Chapter 530 They tried to cover up everything
In fact, the information on British casualties has been transmitted intermittently from Britain and even Germany to France.
But the French people are not too keen on this.
What does the number of British casualties have to do with France?
Many people didn't say it out loud, but they were gloating in their hearts: it would be best if more British people died, as this would reflect the greatness and pride of France.
But of course, this is only the opinion of a "small number" of people. Most people and the mainstream media believe that this news is a rumor deliberately released by the Germans in order to undermine the morale and confidence of the Allies.
They still believed this even though huge numbers of wounded were sent back from the front lines, causing the medical system to almost collapse.
They have another version of their own:
"There are always casualties in war. We have suffered so many casualties, the enemy must have suffered more than us!"
"That's what war is like. It's a waste of human lives. It depends on who can hold out to the end."
"We can't compromise or give up, we must fully support our troops!"
…
In this era when television had not yet been invented and radio was not yet popular, and the media mainly relied on newspapers, information was spread more by word of mouth. If the top leaders of the country wanted to deliberately conceal it, it would be difficult for people to know what was happening on the battlefield.
Although the surviving wounded all said:
"Casualties were heavy on the front lines, and there were dead bodies everywhere."
"The enemy's firepower is very strong. We can't rush forward at all."
"Everyone in my unit died, and we are the only ones who came back!"
…
But they are individual cases, all of them are individual cases, not the whole and there is no exact number. The government has never announced the exact number.
If this continued, the "massacre" on the Somme battlefield would probably have been concealed until a few months later, when more than 600,000 people were sacrificed but only a trivial victory was won.
By then, the casualty figures will be overshadowed by the cheers of victory!
But this was broken by the emergence of the British Army's new tanks.
In order to chase the news, newspapers did not hesitate to buy the latest and most complete information from soldiers at high prices. Some reporters risked their lives to sneak into medical and logistics departments, and even carried stretchers, just to take a picture of a new tank at the front line.
However, the facts they obtained shocked everyone: there was no victory at all, all the tank wreckages were on the original front line, and there were countless corpses, and the British army did not move forward, not even a small step.
French newspapers had no need to hide the situation for the British, and real photos of the battlefield soon appeared on the front pages of major newspapers.
Morning Post: "It's unbelievable, this is hell. The war has been going on for more than a year, and we have filmed many battlefield scenes, but this is the first time we have seen such a massacre!"
The picture was accompanied by a picture of dead bodies all over the ground and tank wreckage in the distance.
"Le Petit Paris Daily": "It's terrible! Is this a war? Or a one-sided massacre? However, the soldiers still charged towards the enemy line under orders. I am not sure whether this is wise or what tactics this is, but I know it is meaningless!"
Accompanied by a photo of British soldiers charging hard under a hail of bullets.
Le Figaro: "We would rather this be a contest between gentlemen, but what we see is the fragility and meanness of life. Thousands of soldiers are dying here without dignity."
It is accompanied by a close-up of a corpse lying in an uninhabited area. The corpse is rotting and swelling, the flesh on its face has been partially eaten by gophers, revealing the white bones, and its belly is bulging.
There is a note in small print under the picture:
After a person dies, the decomposition of microorganisms in the body will produce a large amount of gas. If these gases cannot be discharged normally, they will accumulate in the body and cause the abdomen to bulge. Soon it will burst and the corrupt matter in the abdomen will splash everywhere.
The soldiers on the front line called this phenomenon corpse explosion. They were used to it. In the dead of night, if there was no artillery bombardment, the sound of corpse explosions would be heard one after another.
Le Figaro is a newspaper for the nobility. Those noble gentlemen get up early in the morning, drink coffee leisurely in their pajamas, and pick up the newspaper while enjoying an exquisite breakfast, but they see such pictures and these annotations.
They could even feel the exploding filth splattering into their food, the coffee and sauce black and the thick, steaming chocolate.
The Meritorious Newspaper wisely chose not to be the first to speak out, and it continued to educate people on how to avoid amputation due to "trench foot" in the damp and waterlogged trenches.
However, this seemed to be of little use, as many people deliberately developed "trench foot" because the horrors of the front lines far exceeded amputation.
The journalists were not fools, and they quickly figured out:
If the British suffered such heavy casualties on the same front, does that mean the French suffered similar casualties?
If the British were hiding the truth, was Nivelle doing the same?
So naturally, the situation of the French positions was also photographed, which was comparable to that of the British positions.
The point is that after suffering such heavy casualties, there was no progress on the front line.
People understand:
"They are lying, they are trying to cover it up."
"There has never been any German tricks. What the Germans say is the truth!"
"They are just trying to cover up their own incompetence. Soldiers are dying meaninglessly and without dignity. They are murderers!"
…
People and celebrities demanded that the French government disclose casualty data and the true situation on the battlefield. The government organized a parliamentary discussion, and under pressure, parliament forced the military to do so.
In the end, the ball was kicked to the feet of French Commander-in-Chief Nivelle.
…
On the south bank of the Somme, Nivelle, who was commanding the front line, was in a dilemma when he saw the telegram sent by the government.
This is not a question of French casualties.
The French casualties were not heavy, with only more than 20,000 casualties in a week, which was nothing.
(Note: The French army did not commit many troops to the Battle of the Somme, and the casualties were mainly British)
The problem is that before the war he told everyone victory would be just a few days away, and he kept boasting that victory was being achieved on the front lines, but now there is no progress at all.
He knew what this would mean if it were exposed.
It is very likely that he will lose the position of commander-in-chief that he worked so hard to obtain, and he may even be expelled from the army like Xiafei, after all, he will be held responsible for the casualties caused by this futile effort.
No, victory must be achieved, Nivelle thought. Only in this way can we give an explanation to the parliament and the people!
But how can we achieve victory?
This may be easy for Charles, but it is an unattainable dream for others!
Nivelle suddenly thought: I am the commander-in-chief of the French army, why not let Charles come to the rescue? If the British want to compete with Charles, that is their business. I must at least get through this hurdle!
Direct adjustment may be too sensitive, which is both beneath your status and embarrassing.
Borrowing the help of parliament might be a good option!
(End of this chapter)
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